To verify the Compass monitoring results for LDAP Searches Per Second, LDAP Client Sessions, and LDAP Bind Time, perfmon should be used to load the following NTDS performance object counters.

  • LDAP Searches/sec - The number of search operations per second performed by LDAP clients. If the environment is balanced, the values should be near the same across all of your domain controllers.  If it is not, then an abnormal value may suggest that a specific domain controller is underperforming or that restructuring of the network is required to balance the load to other domain controllers.
  • LDAP Client Sessions - The number of sessions of connected LDAP clients.  In an environment that is balanced, the measurements should be similar for each domain controller.
  • LDAP Bind Time - The time (in milliseconds) required for the completion of the last successful LDAP binding.  Typically you want to have times measured to be under 5 seconds.  Bind times that start to exceed 15 or 30 seconds may be an indication network issues are present.


To add counters that you want to monitor, follow below procedure:

1. Open the Performance Monitor from Start= > Program => Administrative Tools => Performance.

  • Or you can simply start by Start => Run => perfmon

2. Click on System Monitor in the left pane.

3. Right Click and open add counters.

4. Under Select counters from computer, enter the name of the domain controller you want to target.

5. Select the NTDS performance object.

6. Select the counters you want to monitor.

7. After you done with your selections, click Close.